Making family tree a fascinating project

Last month, I started the project of making a genealogy/family tree of my family. I bet there isn’t anyone in Gloversville who does not know an Insogna/Insognia or two.

What a fascinating journey it has turned into. After wondering for 50 years why our last name was spelled more than one way, I solved the mystery by reading the birth certificates of my aunts, uncles and grandparents. It appears keeping accurate records was not a priority back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The correct spelling is Insogna, but different people made out the birth certificates, and somewhere along the line added an i (Insognia). The names of my great-grandparents were inconsistent throughout, as was my grandmother’s. Her name on the various certificates ranged from Adelina (which is correct) to Anna, Alida, Atelina and Allotina. It has been a challenge, to say the least. However, seeing my grandparents’ names on the ship manifest that brought them to Ellis Island, the birth, marriage, death certificates, etc., has been exciting. I never knew my great-grandparents, and now I at least know their names and how I am related to some other families in Gloversville (DiMezza, DiCicco, DiMaio).

A great deal of this would not have been possible had it not been for Deputy City Clerk Cindy Ostrander. Her help was priceless to me. Seeing my dad’s birth certificate, my grandparents’ marriage certificate, etc., gave me answers to so many questions and pulled things together.

So, to Cindy Ostrander, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You went well above and beyond what you were required to do. You took the time, made the effort, directed me to the Fulton County history website, included little notes of information. You did a fabulous job.

If there is anyone who would like to make information about the Insogna family available to me, you can send it to bubbasu1@bellsouth.net.